University College London hospital is among the designated centres to treat coronavirus patients in the capital.
Photograph: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The number of coronavirus deaths in the UK has risen sharply, from 578 to 759, the country’s biggest day-on-day increase to date.

The daily number of new confirmed cases of coronavirus also reached a new high at 2,921 recorded in the 24 hours to 9am on Friday, compared with 2,129 in the previous 24 hours.

The Department of Health said a total of 14,543 people in the UK had now tested positive for Covid-19, up from 11,658 at the same point on Thursday.

The number of people tested in the UK rose by 8,911 to 113,777, of whom 99,234 had tested negative.

The increases were announced on the fourth day of a nationwide lockdown. Worldwide, more than 551,800 people have been infected and nearly 24,900 have died, according to the Reuters news agency.

In England, a further 168 people who tested positive had died, bringing the total to 689, the NHS said. The patients were aged between 29 and 98, and all but four – who were aged between 82 and 91 – had underlying health conditions.

A further eight people had died in Scotland, taking the total to 33. The first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, also announced an increase of 165 in the number of confirmed cases, to 1,059.

A further six people had died in Wales, bringing the total deaths there to 34, Public Health Wales said.

The death tolls for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland add up to 769, more than the official figure for the UK overall – a discrepancy that may be explained by differences in the time periods being reported on.

London continues to report the highest number of deaths in the country. Almost a third of UK deaths, 246, have been in the capital. Among the London health trusts with the highest number of deaths are London North West (47), Barts (28) and St George’s hospitals in Tooting (25).

There have been 156 deaths recorded in NHS trusts across the Midlands. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS trust has reported 37 deaths, the second highest number reported by any one trust. University Hospitals Birmingham NHS foundation trust has recorded 24 deaths, while Sandwell and West Birmingham hospitals NHS trust has recorded 17.

Deaths have now been reported in more than 100 trusts across England.

The figures do not represent the number of deaths that occurred in the past day but the number reported to NHS England in a 24-hour period. Two of the deaths, reported by Basildon and Thurrock university hospitals NHS foundation trust and University hospitals of Leicester NHS trust, occurred on 14 March.